Protein Advice

what are your overall calories compared to macros...IMHO if you areon the lower end (1200) - then a high protein split will be harder to accomplish without feeling deprived of carbs

Have you been drinking enough water? Sometimes, when I think I am hungry, it is really just my body telling me I need to drink more water. If you are feeling bloated or heavy, but still "hungry", it could be that you are not getting enough water throughout the day.

I had a hunger issue and an evening snack-attack problem. I'm seeing a registered dietitian and when I mentioned it to her, she recommended I experiment by increasing changing my carb-heavy breakfast to a higher protein count one instead. (I now aim for > 15 g protein) and also suggested I try adding a serving of whole grain or starchy vegetable to my lunch (which was predominantly vegetable, protein, fruit). I tried both those things, and that did the trick for me. No more hunger or munchie attacks, and I didn't need to change my ratios or alter my total calorie count - just shift my timing a little on when I consume some foods. I'm really quite impressed with the difference that made for me.

It seems that you now have 2 ratios that don't quite work for you. Part of this journey is trial and error in finding the right one because no one diet is best for everyone.

I have two suggestions with moving forward. Either,

1. Change ratios to 40% carbs, 25% protein and 35% fats or,
2. Change ratios to 45% carbs, 25% protein and 30% fats

Try one way and if it doesn't seem to work then try the other.

Good luck xxx

Sageyoku wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

If you're not comfortable, that's a reason to change.

It's sometimes hard for me to make sure I'm understand what someone else is saying, so I'm going to try to rephrase what I think you were saying: That on your old macro split, you felt too hungry, so you increased protein to see if that would help, and now you feel too full.

Correct. I. feel like even when I'm hungry, there's not enough room for more food, or like I'm having trouble digesting or something.

How big (height/weight) are you? What is your overall objective (your profile suggests it's weight maintenance, but your calorie level seems quite low unless you're pretty petite)? I'm asking these questions to figure out whether your protein intake seems sensibly in line with your goals, or not.

I'm 5'5", 126-128 lbs. I used MFP's calculator to determine what should be my calorie intake for "slightly active" and "maintain current weight" at my height/weight, and it gave me 1530.

OK. I'm about your size, but 5-8 pounds heavier (low 130s).

I'm an advocate for 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of a healthy body weight, for someone who's both active, and losing weight. Since you're maintaining weight, not losing, and not weight/strength training, it seems to me you could afford to be on the lower end of that (if it will let you be satiated - extra protein, within calories, won't hurt a healthy person, within reason).

So, at 128, I would think that as low as 77-103g of protein could be fine, but you can certainly eat more if it's more satiating and you can still fit in other nutrients. (This is just my opinion about protein, but my opinion significantly exceeds the minimal levels set by organizations like USDA and WHO to avoid malnutrition - it's nearly twice what they have as minimums).

One question: Have you actually been maintaining your weight on the calories MFP suggested? (Its "calculator", like all others, runs off statistical averages for whole populations, so for any individual it's an estimate, not gospel). Whether your weight behaves as expected, over at at least a 4-6 week period at a given calorie level, is the best indication of whether the estimate works for you or not.

People sometimes use the term "bloated" as a euphemism for varying things. They sometimes mean holding onto water weight, sometimes experiencing gassiness, sometimes they're politely referring to constipation, sometimes to feeling like they've overeaten, and more. Can you be more precise?

All of that. Literally all of that. I feel like I have water weight, I have excess gas (I had added more fiber to my diet in case the protein might cause constipation but it seems to have only made things worse), constipation happens frequently, and I constantly feel like I have no more room in my stomach despite feeling hungry at the same time. I will take your suggestion and change up what I'm eating to see if I can pinpoint any specific foods that might be causing it.

Your constipation could be food sensitivities (you're going to be checking for that - you might want to look up "high FODMAP foods" to get some ideas of suspicious candidates, but don't fall for excess woo around high FODMAPs - stick to reputable sources).

It could also be incomplete adaptation to the fiber - I'm not sure how long ago you increased fiber. Adaptation can take a few weeks, and it helps if you increase fiber gradually rather than all at once. Fiber is a clear requirement to minimize the risk of constipation, but so are adequate (not crazy excessive) fluids, and enough fats.

Looking at a few days of your diary, it seems like fats are mostly adequate, but on the lower end of adequate. Personally, I like 0.35-0.45g fats per pound of healthy body weight as a goal range (again, opinion), with women maybe on the higher side. That would be around 45-58g fats daily, at your weight. (I have a tendency to IBS-C, and definitely do better at the higher end of that range, if not above). It can be good to spread the fats across the meals that have fiber, in my experience . . . and you want some fat with veggies to optimize absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, anyway.

Are you drinking or otherwise consuming enough fluids (water, other beverages, water-dense fruit/veggies, soups, etc.)? If your urine is the color of pale straw or lighter, you're probably OK. Otherwise, consider drinking more water throughout the day (or getting other additional fluids). If you need to increase fluids, increasing water consumption gradually can minimize that "having to go all the time" feeling by allowing gradual adaptation, but it does tend to defer results (if you're going to have any) on the constipation front.

You might want to check a couple typical days of your eating to make sure you're getting adequate magnesium and potassium. The MFP database isn't terribly complete WRT those micros, but you can use other sources (like USDA or the Self nutrition database) to try to get a general idea whether you're in the ballpark or not. Supplements are an option, but foods are more time-tested. As a generality, you probably don't want to use supplements unless you know you're on the low side, then they might be worth a try (my opinon, again).

The magnesium can be relevant to constipation. The potassium can be relevant to sodium/potassium balance thus water retention. Your water intake can also affect water retention - you need enough in order to avoid unnecessarily retaining water, it's not that you retain more water if you consume more.

Anecdotally, probiotic foods seem to help some people with constipation or who are trying to adapt to higher fiber. Live culture yogurt, kombucha, miso, raw/unpasteurized kim chi or sauerkraut, kefir, etc.: Those sorts of things might be worth eating, if you like them, just to see if it helps. It's not a universal, I think. Here again, I personally think time-tested foods are a better idea than pills.

I'm just rambling on here about some things you can try. Some of it has better science around it than other bits, but I don't usually go way out on a limb. The probiotics are the most speculative part, I think.

Finally, it seems like you're packing most of your protein into lunch and dinner, on the day you point out as typical. Would putting more of it in breakfast make any difference? Personally, I'm happier with a pretty even split, but people vary.

I can try that. Didn't think it would make a big difference, but it's worth a shot, why not!

As far as activity level, I would've thought "active", too. Have you been doing your current calorie level for a month or more? If so, what has your body weight done over that time period?

I realize that I might actually be active, but as previously stated, I often eat more than 1530 calories, usually between 1500-1800 on any given day. I just don't log the extra 200-300. I have been at that calorie level for a long time, like years. My weight has not changed/has gone down very slightly, I'm talking 1 pound per year.

Thank you very much for the response. I'm going to try some of the things you suggested as far as removing a food at a time to see if it makes things better, then moving more protein to breakfast, and then switching back to 50/30/20 or 50/25/25. Thank you again!

Just a little more rambling about things you could consider, based on your answers to questions.

If you have continuing problems, you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a registred dietitician to help you out with assessing your eating, and trying out a more structured elimination diet to check for sensitivities, if you don't develop insights on your own quickly enough.

I hope you find some solutions!

Like you I have an active job. I use a step counter to adjust my calories or I would never eat enough (barn manager - 30,000 steps per day most of the time). I also found myself lacking energy. I kept the 50/30/20 but changed my breakfast a bit to include a high protein smoothie (usually power greens, high protein yogurt, milk, whey protein powder - I like full circle, and whatever fruit I want. Usually around 300 cals, so I can have a piece of toast if I want/need it. It takes the pressure off about protein the rest of the day, and usually keeps me full until noon (I start work at 7). Good luck finding a balance!

iowalinda wrote: »

PloddingTurtle wrote: »

I had a hunger issue and an evening snack-attack problem. I'm seeing a registered dietitian and when I mentioned it to her, she recommended I experiment by increasing changing my carb-heavy breakfast to a higher protein count one instead. (I now aim for > 15 g protein) and also suggested I try adding a serving of whole grain or starchy vegetable to my lunch (which was predominantly vegetable, protein, fruit). I tried both those things, and that did the trick for me. No more hunger or munchie attacks, and I didn't need to change my ratios or alter my total calorie count - just shift my timing a little on when I consume some foods. I'm really quite impressed with the difference that made for me.

I am fascinated by this and would love to hear more about shifting nutrients around to prevent feeling hunger. Can you point me in the direction of more information?

No resources to suggest. Sorry. I just kept logging my foods, and gave some print outs of my MFP food diary to my dietitian. My diary is public, so I also gave her my user name and she was able to just poke around my MFP diary. She made those few suggestions in response to my telling her I had hunger problems. I experimented and observed differences that I wrote down in my journal. I was pleased to report back at the next appointment that her suggestions worked for me. I tend to eat predominantly fresh foods and combine my ingredients in fairly simple home made combinations and recipes. The difference in a breakfast below 10 g of protein and one above 20 g of protein became obvious from trial and journaling through the experiment. I still like cereal for breakfast, but now I know to deliberate add protein as well on breakfast days. Sometimes it's a matter of increasing the milk by half a cup, or adding a boiled egg.

I tried to look at your diary but the link took me to my own diary...

I am interested in your post because I have been doing 40-30-30 too. It's my magic macro formula for losing. When I upped my calories by 200/day recently to get into maintenance I started finding I was constipated sometimes but never a big deal as my morning coffee always takes care of that. But it is harder to eat enouh protein without blowing my carb # and I'm at 1450 cal/day so I don't know how you can manage it! I aim for at least 30g protein for breakfast and lunch, adding an ounce of low fat cheese to make it up for egg salad or ham sandwich days. Have you discovered Little Big Bread? It's thinner like Weight Watchers bread so a sandwich is like one slice but it's grainier and doesn't sog.

cyncm wrote: »

I tried to look at your diary but the link took me to my own diary...

I am interested in your post because I have been doing 40-30-30 too. It's my magic macro formula for losing. When I upped my calories by 200/day recently to get into maintenance I started finding I was constipated sometimes but never a big deal as my morning coffee always takes care of that. But it is harder to eat enouh protein without blowing my carb # and I'm at 1450 cal/day so I don't know how you can manage it! I aim for at least 30g protein for breakfast and lunch, adding an ounce of low fat cheese to make it up for egg salad or ham sandwich days. Have you discovered Little Big Bread? It's thinner like Weight Watchers bread so a sandwich is like one slice but it's grainier and doesn't sog.

Your protein number is a higher priority than your carb number. The hierarchy is 1. Protein 2. Fat 3. Carbs.